


These Dark Roads

by SkeleRed



Category: Underfell - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Biting, Bondage and Discipline, Dom/sub Play, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied Drug Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Incest, Interspecies Relationship(s), M/M, Papyrus hates Undyne after tragic accident, Prostitution, Sexual Abuse, Sibling Incest, Underage - Freeform, Unhealthy Relationships, bone swords woo, magic apple trees, more tags will be added as we go, not really accident, paprus is kinda young in the featured past chapters, plot going so slowly, sans is short but humans are shorter, underage relationships, you wont like the ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-08-08 14:20:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7761229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkeleRed/pseuds/SkeleRed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prologue:<br/>It wasn't supposed to happen like this; His dust slipping through your fingertips. Sans... It wasn't supposed to be like this.</p>
<p>The Reader falls into the universe of Underfell, and that's how you met Sans. I'm bad at Summaries, so, I guess just check out Chapter One?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Turn Around

**Author's Note:**

> Prologue:  
> It wasn't supposed to happen like this; His dust slipping through your fingertips.  
> Sans... It wasn't supposed to be like this.

       You'd just made it out of the ruins, exposed skin slightly scorched from the fireballs. A disturbing humming echoed down the snowy path, making you slightly uncomfortable. Nevertheless, you continued, torn shoes offering little protection from the cold snow. As you made your way to the bridge up ahead, you heard something behind you _._   _'Were those... footsteps?'_ You ask yourself.  _"No. It was probably nothing.'_ You reassure yourself, continuing on, ignoring the sickening feeling in your stomach.     

\--------------

      It wasn't nothing. You were now standing back to the bars with a...  _skeleton_ , pinning you. You opened your mouth to let out a scream, but he pressed his hand to your mouth " **Shh...** " he growled. " **S'ok Sweetheart. I won't hurtcha.** " he whispered in your ear. His deep voice surprised you a bit.  _'Do skeletons even HAVE windpipes?'_ You decided to address that later. What really needed to be addressed, was the fact the skeleton was now dragging you by your hair through the snow. You couldn't help it, you let out a blood curling scream, and went up to hold your hair. He snapped his eyes down at you, glaring. " **What did I say about-** " He was cut off by a shrill voice that seemed to echo down the tightly enclosed path. You glanced to your side and saw a sort of sentry post. Looking up, you saw Sans's nervous face, and if Sans was nervous about whoever was coming.. you felt you should be, too. Quickly, Sans dragged you to the sentry station, and shoved you under. Clanking footsteps came closer, until they were almost in your face. "SANS" it screeched. "MUST YOU BE SO USELESS?" Curiously, you leaned and glanced up at Sans. He looked different from earlier; smaller, weaker. Suddenly, Sans was on the ground with a red boot pressed into his chest. "P-P-Please" He hiccuped. "B-Boss..." "I EXPECT YOU TO BE HOME BEFORE 8. REFRAIN FROM GETTING YOUR SORRY ASS WASTED. BUT I DON'T THINK YOU COULD BECOME ANYMORE OF A WASTE OF SPACE." And with that, 'Boss' was gone, laughing at his own joke. You watched Sans pick himself up off the ground, and then hold out a hand for you. "Here, lemme help ya up, Sweetheart." He spoke softer than he had earlier, maybe it had something to do with what had just taken place, or maybe he just pitied you for having to watch.

     You took his hand, and he hoisted you up out from under the post. You couldn't help it anymore, you had to ask. "Why did you help me?" You asked. "You could've turned me in. Toriel said that's what you'd do.." He stared at you for what seemed like a few minutes before he finally spoke again. "Can't have your soul damaged. Boss'is a horrendous fighter, but he doesn't have the first idea how to remove a soul." Sans turned away for a moment, and when he turned back, his gaze was dark, and intimidating. **"Good thing I do."** You took a step back, shocked. "Heh, I'm just kiddin', Sugar." He smirked. "Anyways, you look a'lil cold there. How about we go get somethin' to eat?" He asked. Still wary, you agreed and let him lead you onward, to who knows where. 

    You and Sans arrived at somewhere called 'Chillby's'. He led you over to a booth and you both sat down, and you finally got a chance to get a better look at him. Sans wore  _a lot_ of black and red. He wore a black fur coat with a red turtleneck sweater underneath, a pair of black basketball shorts with yellow stripes on the sides, some very flashy shoes, and a collar that said "Sans". You raised an eyebrow upon seeing the collar but decided to just let it go. 'So his name is Sans.' You thought. "So... uh.." He started, seemingly nervous. He mumbled something too quiet for you to make out. "Come again?" You asked. He blushed and looked down, fumbling with his hands. "S...Sorry for dragging you by your hair." He mumbled. Your face softened, and you smiled. "It's okay, Sans. I forgive you." He seemed taken aback, but said nothing more. His attention turned over to some weird.. purple fire monster. " **The usual.** " He stated, blandly, but with his intimidating voice. The fire monster only briefly acknowledged Sans, instead turning its attention to you. "And what for you, pretty lady?" The fire monster purred. "I...uh... I'll have.." You glanced at the menu before continuing. "I'll have french fries, please." The fire monster, who you presumed to be Chillby, let out an annoyed sigh, nodded, and left. 

    When you turned back to Sans, he was staring at you, rather intently. "S-So.." He began. "Forget about what you saw earlier... Y'know, with my brother." You stared at him in disbelief. "That was your brother?!" You asked, almost accusingly. When he nodded, you just stared.  **"What?"** he asked, irritated. "Brother's don't hit each other." You said pointedly. He looked slightly amused now, and clicked his tongue.  **"Welcome to the Underground, Sweetheart."** He growled. 

 


	2. Grasp at Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader tries to make friends with Sans while he's extremely drunk.  
> (WARNING SOME FONTCEST AND MAYBE SOME LIGHT SIN CEST IN THIS CHAPTER)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's another chapter. Make sure to check out the prologue in the first chapter.  
> Also, if you want to check out my dA http://rurasenpai.deviantart.com/

      " **Welcome to the Underground, Sweetheart."** Sans growled. "It doesn't have to be that way." You whimpered, pathetically. "Power doesn't mean you can't be cruel." Now she was really getting on his nerves. "I never asked your name." He asked, clicking his tongue in annoyance from her last outburst. "My name is... Y/N." she murmured. He looked her over for a second, clearly pleased. "That's a nice name, Y/N." he purred, but his voice quickly changed. " **I don't know where you came from, or how things used to work. But you better get used to how things work down here, or you're going to be a pike of disgusting flesh."** He snapped. She stared at him, shock written all over his face. He seemed to disregard it as Chillby came over with their order. "Aye Chillbz, got our food?" Sans purred. "Two vodka-mustards and fries, and don't call me that." Chillby hissed. You couldn't hear them. Were you really disgusting? You glanced down at your body, self-loathing evident all over your face. Your food was set in front of your face, but you didn't seem to notice it. You also didn't see Sans staring at you, a little guiltily. You shook your head.  _'No, it's not his fault he's being so mean. He was brought up that way! I'll just have to help him.'_ With renewed determination, you looked back up at Sans and started eating your fries. He seemed to relax a bit, and downed one of his drinks.  _'So he does care a little bit... that might make this easier. Might.'_

     You'd lost count of how many drinks Sans'd had. "S-Sans!" you stuttered. "Slow down." You muttered, knowing it wouldn't make much of a difference. Sans was drunk off his ass, and still kept ordering more drinks. You rolled your eyes and poked your index finger at the empty tray. "So.. Sans.." You started. He turned his attention back to you. " 'Sup Sweetheart?" He purred. You sighed and continued. "Why do you drink so... much? It can't be healthy for you, despite being a skeleton." You gestured your hand down at his stomach. "S'what I don't have a liver? Makin' fun of me?" He hissed, but he sounded more cute than threatening. "You still haven't answered my question." You pointed out. "I'll answer your question when you answer mine."

"Ugh." He growled, much more irritated. "So I can forget how to feel.." He mumbles. You nod and reach for his hand, to provide some comfort, but draw your hand back. You weren't sure what his reaction would be if you were to touch him, so you decided to just leave it. "So pretty thing" Sans slurred. "Howza bout' I take you home with me tonight." He purred bringing his hands up to cup the side of your face. "Sans... You're drunk." You stated. "Plus I just met you, I'm not... uh..." You trailed off. He glared at you. "What, skeleton not g'nough for you?" He hissed. You rolled your eyes again, for probably the 100th time that night. "Sans stop with the skeleton nonsense! It's not that. I just met you.." He rolled his "eyes" back at you mockingly. "I'm not going to sleep with you, but at least let me walk you home, Sans. You're really drunk, you could get hurt." You pleaded. He perked back up and grabbed your hand, wobbling to the door. "I wanna show you my house." He slurred. "Maybe give you a 'tour'.." All you could do was let out a deep sigh and follow him.

    When you two arrived at his house, which didn't take very long seeing as close it was to his house, you two went inside. It looked rather nice... Except for all the claw marks on the walls, couch, and tables. It kind of looked like some kind of bear had been let loose in the house, but then you remembered seeing the claws of the taller skeleton; his brother... You shivered, slightly disturbed as to  _why_ and  _how_ they got there. You shrugged it off and followed Sans as he led you to his room. When he noticed your hesitance about going in he chuckled,"S'not like I'm gonna rape you er' something." He laughs it off and goes inside, expecting you to follow. You both sit on his bed in silence, until there's a crashing sound from downstairs and he freezes. "S-Stay here..." He stuttered and shakily ran to the door. You heard the sound of footsteps on stairs, and then there was a loud crash. Curious, you decided you to investigate. You quietly opened the door and were struck with the sound of a continuous clanking, a wet sound, and whimpering, moaning, and growls. You quietly crawled along the floor and peered over the ledge. You weren't prepared for what lay below. To stifle your gasp of horror, you bit your lip and clasped both hands over your mouth. Below, Sans was on his knees with his brother pressing his head and upper body into the floor. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that his brother was aggressively pounding into Sans with what seeming to be an orange ecto-dick, and it looked like Sans had a.. red.. Ecto-pussy. 

   Sometimes Sans would moan, and other times he'd whimper as his brother, who you soon learned was Papyrus from Sans's constant gibberish, would dig his claws into Sans's skull. It seemed like forever, but eventually Papyrus let out a rather loud moan and pushed Sans to the floor rather roughly, causing you to wince. "THAT'S RIGHT, WHORE. YOU LIKE IT WHEN I USE YOU. MY GOOD LITTLE SLUT." Papyrus screeched, making you want to cover your ears. When you realized Papyrus was coming up the stairs, you quickly and quietly darted back into Sans's room and practically dove under the covers. Luckily for you, you heard a door shut down the hall, and it didn't sound like Papyrus was coming back out for a while. Cautiously, you tip-toed downstairs and came upon a completely naked Sans, curled in on himself. You knelt down in front of him and took him gently into your arms. He flinched, but didn't make a move to move away. You slowly stroked the top of his skull comfortingly. Without all his clothes, Sans looked a lot smaller, more fragile. You noticed all the cracks and indents in his bones and felt a pang of sorrow in your soul. You looked around the room, and spotted his clothes and a blanket on the couch. You grabbed his clothes and wrapped him up in the blanket. You picked him up and walked towards the door, noting at how light he was. You'd seen an inn on your way here, and decided you didn't want him to sleep here tonight. You got to the Inn without any problems, and rented a room. You set him down on the body and realized he'd fallen asleep in your arms on the way. A small smile crept onto your face, and you grabbed his clothes to put on him. You noticed his pussy from earlier was gone, and figured it was his magic. You slipped on his basketball shorts for him, and put on his red sweater. You decided to leave his jacket off, and tucked him into bed with you. Your first intention was to just sleep on the other side of the bed, but that quickly changed as he wrapped his arms around your waist and cuddled up to your back. Smiling for the first time since you fell down, smiled, and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please check out my dA http://rurasenpai.deviantart.com/


	3. Protect You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up in the middle of the night and look at Sans. You start to feel some... Feelings, coming into the mix.  
> Sans wakes up afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff  
> Thanks for the kudos, guys! I really thought no one was going to like my story.  
> Try to ignore any mistakes here... I'm writing this on my phone at school. Oops sorry not Sorry  
> Thanks for reading!  
> (sorry for the short chapter)

   You watched Sans peacefully sleeping in your arms. You'd woken up about an hour after falling asleep. Nightmares about what has went down that night plauged your sleep. You felt sick to your stomach just thinking about it. You remembered seeing his broken and limo body curled in I'm itself on the floor. It was at that moment you began to see through all his acts. Sure, he was physically strong, but emotionally he must be broken. When you first met him you'd simply assumed he was just an asshole, and someone extremely unpleasant to be around. But, as you saw his brother knock him to the ground, and now saw his bruises, scars, and cracks in bone... You realized just how much an appearance can hide. He always has a smirk during the day, sharp teeth bared threateningly. But now, as he slept in your arms, his face looked gentle; his mouth only opened to a tiny peek of his teeth. It was there you realized just how beautiful he really was. He has rather large hands with sharp claws. His hands seemed untouched abyse whise, and were smooth and silly white. You stroked his skull, and it seemed to calm you enough to fall asleep.

_________

    You awoke to something shaking in your arms. You blurrily looked down to see Sans, and all the events of last night came rushing back. You felt that sick feeling again, and you wanted to cry at what he stuttered. "B-Boss....? You grit your teeth, realizing how he must feel. To all his knowledge, he was trapped in Papyrus's arms. "No... It's me, Y/N." You say to and turned him to face you, giving him the best smile you could manage. He seemed to relax, but that quickly changed. "Why am I in your bed?" he asked, accusingly. You paused for a moment, feeling extremely embarassed. "Well y'see.." You said awkwardly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my deviantart at RuraSenpai! (old cringy art will come up. ye been wanted.)


	4. Butt Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff and plot starts to sneak in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you squint you can see the plot  
> Sorry for how long this took, but it's a bit longer than all my other ones, so that's good. I've had extreme writer's block.

You told Sans about what happened the previous night. He seemed at a loss, until he burst out laughing, surprising you. " **Sweetheart, I don't _need_ your help. I'm not  _pathetic_." ** He sneers. He sits up on the bed, and pulls out a cigarette. You try to ignore his last comment, and the hurt it brought. "You're not supposed to smoke in here..?" You say with uncertainty as he makes a clicking sound with his tongue. " **Does it look like I care?** " He snarls at you. You look to the side and get up. "I'm... gonna take a shower." You whisper and make your way to the bathroom. The last thing you hear from him is an annoyed ' _Tch_ ' before you close the door. You stood in the shower for a while, just staring down at the wet ground of the shower. You heard some shuffling outside the door and footsteps stop right in front of the door. You let out a deep sigh before grabbing a towel and wrapping it around yourself. You opened the door to find a very red-faced Sans. "Yes?" You groaned, annoyed you had to get out of the warm shower. "Can.." He started. "Can I come in?" He blushed a deep shade of red as he stared at his feet. "Sans, I'm in the middle of taking a shower." You said, still very irritated. He nods slowly, glancing up at you. "Yeah.. I know."  He said meekly. You stared at him for a minute, and your face instantly softened. "Okay, but no peeking. You have to face the opposite direction." He seemed to perk up, and pushed past you into the bathroom. He sat on the floor against the wall, next to the blurred sliding glass door. You stepped into the shower before removing your towel and throwing it out. You proceeded to shampoo and condition your hair, before washing yourself with body wash and shave. After you felt squeaky clean, you stood in the water enjoying the boiling water against your skin. 

    As you stood under the stream of water, the lights were suddenly turned off. "Sans." You huffed. "Was that really necessary?" You were actually enjoying standing there in peace, but the light being turned off had jolted your attention back on reality. When no response came you called out again. "Sans..?" You sounded less sure of yourself now that you realized it was completely silent in the bathroom. You sighed and opened the glass door, and felt around the wall for a towel. You assumed Sans was just being an asshole and decided to turn off the lights and then left. However, you took it right back when your hand grabbed something.. alien. You felt around what you'd gotten your hand into, and heard a squeak somewhere between pain and surprise. You jerked your hand back, and heard a scrambling and a crash. You ran to turn on the light, and whipped around. There sat Sans on the floor curled up into the corner with one hand covering an eye socket and face red from embarrassment. It was then you realized.

You still hadn't gotten a towel.

You slipped backwards onto your butt and grabbed at a towel, dragging it down to cover your body. To someone else, you figured you two must look ridiculous. In one corner, a terrified skeleton was pressed to the wall with cherry red cheeks, and a human girl sat naked and dripping wet from a shower blushing intensely, only covered by a mere towel. You two sat in silence for a while, before you finally decided to break the silence. "So... What happened?" He seemed hesitant to answer, embarrassment evident on his face. "Well.." He started. "I... I fell asleep the moment I turned the light off..." His eyes then trailed off and he seemed like he wanted to melt into the floor. "Sometimes I sleep with my eyes... open, and you reached into my eye and started feeling around in my head." He blushed and played with his fingers. You stared at him, equally shocked. Did you really just feel around in someone's skull? 

"Guess you're pretty  _dense_." You giggled at your own pun, remembering not feeling a brain. He stared at you, before he suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh please, don't be a  _numb-skull._ I'm very smart." He teased. You both sat there for a while, exchanging skeleton puns. After a while, he stood up, and offered you a hand. You went to grab it, but he swiped his hand away and you feel back on your butt with a squeak. You glared at him for a second, but started laughing again. You stood up on your own and wrapped the towel tightly around yourself before walking out of the bathroom. Before he could follow, you closed it on him. "Stay." You said in the most commanding voice. You let him into the bathroom with you, but you'd be damned if you let him watch you get dressed. You took extra long just to piss him off, and finally let him come out when you heard him whine " **Y/N hurry the hell up.** " You finally let him out and he flung the door open. " **Gotta go.** " He growled. " **You've already made me late enough.** " He glared at you menacingly. You were still a little astonished at how quickly his mood swings came. one minute he was adorable and sweet, and then he was snarling at you and being mean. You shook your head, and proceeded to lay back on the bed. He huffed when he got no response, and stormed out the door, slamming it. You clicked on the TV, and flipped through the channel for what felt like hours. What really caught your attention, was a robot dressed in red, black, and yellow. It was going on about human souls, and taking them. You blood ran cold at the robot's next words. " _We just got word a human has been sighted in Snowdin, at the Inn._ " You glanced towards the door, starting to shake as you heard yelling downstairs and footsteps coming up the stairs.


	5. Prisoner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for updating so slow. To be honest with you, I’m not much of a writer and I’m just making this up as I go. Despite that, I have always been able to write a lot about characters, just not ones that I didn’t make. So, I’m sorry for the short chapters and such. I know what I want to happen at the end of the fanfiction, but I’m currently just scrambling to grasp at what happens in between, y’know? It’s hard having writer’s block when you’re not a writer. Anyways, I’m going to try my hardest to make this chapter longer. Chapters always look so long on paper but when you type em’ up they’re so little. ;-;

The door burst in and two large guards burst in. They spotted you almost instantly standing in the middle of the room quivering. Everything was going so fast. They were on you in seconds, their armored hands clenching your wrists in a death grip. You scoffed at the idea of turning purple, but decided not to take the situation so lightly. You kicked and screamed against your captors as they dragged you down the stairs, the hard wood sure to leave bruises. Panic was starting to eat at your soul as everyone pushed off your attempts at screaming for help. They pulled you out into the snow and you instantly felt the cold bite at your bare knees. You instantly regretted putting on sleep shorts that morning.   
Your legs were now numb to the pain. They’d dragged you by your wrists with an iron hold through the cruel snow of Snowdin, all the way to Waterfall. You vaguely remember seeing beautiful waterfalls as you were dragged, and decided if you lived, you would go and get a better look. If you lived.   
They brought you to a house that resembled a weird scary fish. You eyed it with curiosity from where they’d thrown you down to knock on the door. One of the guards slammed his fist onto the door, which, you weren’t entirely sure if it was supposed to be a knock or a threat. The door swung open to reveal a woman with blue skin and red hair. She wore an outfit that could’ve resembled some psychotic villain from a superhero movie. She had sharp yellow teeth that were slightly jagged, and wore an eyepatch over one of her eyes. She smirked at the guard challengingly until she spotted you. Her demeanor completely changed to a dark scowl and a sniff of disgust. She then turned to the guard near the door and chuckled, finally breaking the silence. “I see you were able to find the human.” She paused and then cackled. “Heh, I wasn’t very lean on going myself because Sans is usually so full of shit.” The other guard laughed, nodding in agreement. “Who would’ve thought Papyrus’ worthless brother could actually accomplish finding a human?” The guard still gripping your wrist spit. The blue fish lady snorted and motioned for them to come inside. “Put it in the cage in the backroom. I’ll deal with it later.” She growled, smirking at you with a side glare. You shrunk back against the monster still holding you. It made a move away from you in disgust, but kept its hold on your wrist. You were again being dragged across the ground. The door to the back room was opened to reveal what looked like a jail cell. You tried pushing back, and escaping but were pushed in roughly and the door was slammed into your face.   
You sat on the cold damp floor thinking back to what they’d said outside. You felt your soul clench in pain. Sans had ratted you out? This was all so much to take in. You clutched your knees to your chest, and began to sob into your bleeding and completely mutilated knees. You didn’t even feel the pain anymore, you only felt the sickening throb in your chest. You’d barely just met Sans, but you’d already felt close to him. The betrayal stung more than you’d like to admit it, coursing through your veins like a parasite, eating at any negativity it could grasp. You were likely going to die soon, and this would be how your final moments would be spent; Negativity rotting you from the inside out. You clenched your eyes shut, and clenched your fists. “No.” You spit out, words sounding like knives in the silent room. “There’s gotta be a way out of this hell of a room. There always is…” You said the last part very quietly, unsure of your own words. You started poking around the room, looking for any weakness in the wall where you might be able to break it down. To no luck, you began exploring other possible escape routes. You eyed a drain in the middle of the floor, a tiny thin window in the top left corner for light, and a chair in the far left corner. Whatever this room was for, the prisoners obviously weren’t scheduled for a very long stay, seeing as there were no necessities such as a bed, or even a bathroom. That last bit of observation left you swimming in uneasiness. After exploring every crook and cranny of the room, you realized that there was no escape for you. Accepting defeat, you slumped against the wall and curled in on yourself. Up until then, you hadn’t realized how exhausted you were. But, the moment you closed your eyes you were out like a light.

Sans’ P.O.V.

He didn’t know what he’d been doing. Terrified and seething with rage, he’d teleported straight to Undyne’s house. He tentatively knocked, and was startled by how quickly the door was flung open. He was greeted with a very angry fish woman, who looked ready to claw his eye sockets out. “What is it Sans?” She snarled in his face. He blinked back and gently wiped the spit from her off his face. He smirked widely, feeling his own rage at an encounter with her bubbling up to surface. God, how he hated her. “You might be interested in what I have to say, Undyne.” He scoffed. “Or could you not be bothered enough to deal with a human.” Now he’d caught her attention. Her anger seemed to momentarily die down, and she stood frozen. “A human?!” She squeaked out of excitement, fidgeting. He nodded, and she immediately threw the door closed. He watched her from the window as she dug frantically in her pocket, probably calling either Papyrus or one of her other Royal Guardsman. She’d probably call someone else, because despite Papyrus being her loyal Second in Command, he would probably get over excited and kill the human on the spot, accidentally rendering it so we wouldn’t even steal the human’s soul. His expression darkened. Her soul. Sans felt a tug of pain at his soul, and clenched his teeth together. This is exactly why he had to get rid of her. He was terrified of this new feeling, and if he let it into his soul… He would be rendered weak; pathetic. Sans clenched and unclenched his long claws into his palms, ignoring the slight pain it left in its wake. He needed this pain. Pain was the only consistent thing in his life, the only thing familiar and that he knew. Sometimes, he’d lay awake at night berating himself, and clawing at his face. On those nights, he’d always wake up earlier that Boss and heal himself with Monster Food in order to regain his HP. The boss already thought he was weak enough. Sans shook his head, and began slowly walking back to Snowdin.   
In the distance Sans heard bloodcurdling screams, moving at a fast rate towards him. He quickly stepped to the side, and behind a large assortment of tall echo flowers. He watched 01 and 02 drag you by your wrists across the ground, your knees scraping against the unforgiving ground. Your face looked void of emotion as tears streamed down your face. Sans felt the familiar clench at his soul, and forced himself to move. He stayed a respectful distance back, making sure the three didn’t notice him.   
This was his fault.


	6. Recue Mission of the Century

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long it's been taking to update. I'm super busy with school, and trying to have a life outside of working. I wanted to write last night and have a chapter up on the Aniversary of Undertale, but, I just kind of passed out. I also meant to post some sort of Undertale art on my DeviantArt (which, I also didn't do). So, I'm a little disappointed I didn't get to celetlrbrate the very first aniversary! Well, consider this late.

Sans' P.O.V.

   He clenched at where his soul was, feeling waves of pain wash over him. Just this morning he'd been enjoying your company. Some part of him wanted something more; more than what he knew you were willing to give him. You were a rare creature, a beautiful human, and he was just a skeleton. He thinks he must look weird to you; a skeleton that resembles what may beneath your soft flesh. But, he knew better than to think he could actually be with you. He already had a mate, sort of. Papyrus has forcfully taken him as his mate after he's returned after months of royal guard training. Papyrus has left his innocent, fragile brother and come back a killer. He knew he loved his brother like a mate should, but... You can only love someone to an extent when they abide you, rape you, and make yourbdays not worth living. He thought of how you made the small amount of time he'd known you the best days he'd had in years. He remembers how scare suit were of him when you'd first met and how soft your hair was; and then how soft and smooth your skin had felt against his tough bones when he'd woken up in your bed. Maybe he didn't love you, but he sure knew it was something close to it. His soul longed for you like a soul longs for their... "Their soulmate." Sans said outloud, panick beginning to overtake him. He'd turned in his soulmate; and sentenced her to an almost certain death. 

He has to save her. 

With newfound determination, he watched her from the small window on the ouside of the cell. He'd have to wait for nightfall before he could do anything to help you.

* * *

Your P.O.V.

  You were awoken by the sound of loud water droplets falling against the ground. Grunting, you began to sit up. Your whole body was freezing cold, and your muscles ached. With reluctance, you stood to your grey and looked up at the light filtering through the window. Because there was no sun or moon, the kingdom has designed artificial light to resemble sun light, dawn, dusk, and moon light. At current time, purple red light was faintly shining in, telling you it was probably dusk. You audibly sighed, and leaned against the wall. "This morning was going so well," you spoke to no one in particular. Reaching down, you caressed your knees in order to attempt to ease the pain. Upon further inspection, they were cut up with dried blood, rocks, and dirt in the wound. You winced, and rubbed your hands against your face. 

You stood there against the wall for a while, thoughts of death plagueing your mind. You hadn't realized it was now completely dark in the room, save for the fake moonlight, until a subtle and queit tap from the window caught your attention. You glanced up and squinted at the window. Suddenly it was pitch black in the room. Someone or something has moved in front of the window. Fear gripped your mind, as you started to tremble. The window freaked open as someone pulled it, and it popped out on the other side. Suddenly, the person simply vanished, and light poured back into the room like water. You heard a small "proof" behind you. Red light momentarily flashed in the room, and then bleach white arms were around you. "Sweetheart.." the voice whispered against her neck, as it hugged you from behind. You immediately recognized it as Sans and pulled away quickly and out of his grasp. He pulled you back, and you two were now chest to chest, face to face. "How DARE you?!" you whisper yelled, beating your fists against his chest. "You have me up and told them where I was!" you sobbed, and pushed your face into his chest, crying pitifully. His hand came up to cup the back of your head as he hugged you closer to him. "I'm sorry." he whispered. "I'm so, so sorry." 

You two stood like that for a while, as he whispered sweet and reassuring things into your ear. Eventually, your sobs and hiccups subsided, and there was a silence that fell over the cell. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak, before closing it and opening it again. "I lo-" he choked on his words, a small sound of distress coming out of his mouth. For a second a flash of nervousness crossed his face, before he smirked mischeviously. "I love that face you're making." he snickered and pinched your cheeks,hands lingering on your face. You rolled your eyes. "Just gemme outta here." you mumbled.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna try to make a long chapter for once.   
> Right now I'm going through osme really personal issues and heartbreak, so, prepare yourself for some angst, or, hurt. Stuff like that. Some of my personal experiences will be incoperated into this chapter, and probably the next few to follow. Also, let's try to bring some more fontcest into this. One of the chapters after this one will be dedicated to their past and their relationship together. It is an optional chapter and it's pretty skipable, but it will let you get a better idea on why papyrus and Sans are the way they are. Maybe explain some of these constant moodswings Sans keeps having. Anyways, enjoy this chapter.

Sans teleported you two to what, by experience, you one knew to be his room. As the both of you stood there, neither dared to move, or make a sound at all. The darkness of the room began to surround you in fear, and you finally dated to speak up. "S-Sans...?" you whispered, nuzzling into his chest. He remained silent, and you glanced up at him. His glowing red eyes were boring into you, as if he were stating straight through you. You repeated his name again, this time louder. He seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in, and swiftly let you go. He walked over to a lamp on a dresser in the corner of his bed and turned it on. Weariness in you began to grow as he sat down on the bed and stared at you in silence with the same blank expression. "Sans, why are you looking at me like that?" you croaked. As if stepping on a branch, something inside him seemed to have snapped and he let out a throaty growl. "Why are you doing this to me?" he snarled at you, pointing an accusing claw. You raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't know what you're talking about...?" "You know exactly what I'm talking about." You have him a quizical glance. "Sans, I really don't know what you're talking about." You whispered, fiddling with your hands. You felt embarassed as he stared at you from the bed, and you rubbed your foot against the scratchy carpet. You glanced back up at him, and he looked very frustrated. He stood up off the bed and paced around the room, scratching his claws against the palm of his hand. The sound made you wince; it sounded like metal scraping against metal. "Sans, talk to me here. You... You're scaring me here." He sighed and tried to calm his compisure, taking deep breaths. You gingerly slid over to him, and rubbed a comforting hand on his back. "You're making it hard to hate you." He looked down at your smaller figure, eyes expressing fondness in those dark voids. "I.. I can't do this with you." "What do you mean?" "I have a mate already. You can't have two mates." "Mate?" "If I'm correct, humans call their potential life partners a boy/girlfriend, and their life mate their husband/wife. For monsters, love runs deeper, and it lasts forever. We also have a potential, what we call, soulmate." "Who is your mate?" "Papyrus. Every monster has a soulmate, someone they are ment to spend the rest of their life with. But if we choose to not seek our our soulmate, we may have a different mate, but it isn't the same." Reality began to sink in. So, that was why Sans didn't fight against Papyrus' advances. They were a "mates" pair. You felt a twinge of pain stab in your chest, but chose to ignore it. "Why are you telling me this? How am I involved? Why tell me you already have a mate?" you murmured softly, because he seemed on the brink of panic. He visibly gulped, and fumbled with his hands again. "B-Because..." he whispered so quietly, you asked yourself if he's said anything at all. "You're my soulmate. The one made for me and soully me..." he choked. "And now that I've found you, it will be so hard to have Papyrus as my mate. God.. I want you so bad." He stated at you with half-lidded sockets, and a ghostly red tongue lolling out of his mouth. All the things he's just told you shocked you. Sans was your soulmate? You stared at him as if with new eyes. This was the one meant for you, destined to be yours. All his imperfections made him perfect. His sharp gangs and fake gold replacement, the cracks in his bones that litered his body, and those beautiful ruby limericks in his empty eyes. He reached for you, hands quivering. He seemed uncertain as to whether he could touch you or not, and kept pulling back before continuing to reach again. Your gaze softened. You felt a pang of sadness stab at your heart, and you took his wrists into your palms. You gently pulled him into your arms and laid him in your lap. Usually he would tower over you, but now in your lap, he looked like a fragile, small child. You stroked his ivory skull, and gently placed a loss over it. He snuggled into your stomach and pawed at your side's. "Soft.." he purred. "So soft." Sans has fallen asleep 30 minutes ago, leaving you alone with your thoughts. Did you love Sans? You didn't want to lead him on, and if that meant telling him you didn't love him, then that's what you had to do. You remembered how when you'd first met him he'd dragged you by your hair as you screamed and cried, and then shoved you under a sentry post. Then you thought about the distressed and pleasures cries as his brother pinned him to the ground mercilessly on their living room floor. If you really did love him, would you be willing to share with Papyrus? Would he be willing to share with you? Probably not. You didn't like Papyrus, or how he treated his mate, and your soulmate. 'Mate..' it echoed through your head like a sweet lullaby. You looked down at the tiny skeleton snoring into your stomach. You knew there was no question about it anymore. You love him. He was your mate, afterall.


	8. The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took too long. This one, as I said before, will have some past on Papyrus (not really that much of Sans). I'm trying to make my chapters, longer, I prooooomise.  
> This chapters been done for at least two days, but it was written on paper and it's time consuming and pretty boring to type the ENTIRE chapter. Hopefully it's as long as it was on paper. Watch it be a paragraph x3  
> This doesn't cover how Papyrus and Sans got so incesty tho
> 
> AnYwAyS  
> this one doesn't really have romance oops  
> no smutt here!

    Sans work up and glanced over at the small body next to him. Y/N was curled in the sheets, knees closely drawn to her chest. Her H/C hair encased her face nicely, breath coming in soft purrs. Sans' face softened into a smile, and a rare genuine smile formed. Tearing his gaze away, he shuffled off the mattress quietly and sat on the very edge. He stretched with a loud pop that echoed throughout the room. With a glance to make sure she hadn't woken, he slid to the door, creaking it open and closing it. He padded down the hallway and stopped in front of Papyrus' door. Sans took a minute to trace the wood ship of the door. He remembered how after Papyrus had come home from a long time of Royal Guardsman training, he had collected wood from the Snowdin Forest, and designed and crafted the entire house. The house was beautiful on the inside and outside alike; dark oak floorboards and maroon walls. But out of all the structure, Papyrus' door was his by far favorite. Deep in the forest they'd found an apple tree with caramel wood, and surprisingly, in great condition for the middle of winter. Papyrus had stormed off into the woods, and he had hastily followed. After they'd finally made up, and enjoyed each other's missed company, did they make up. It was a symbol of their time spent from each other. The wood had been smoothed, and carved by none other than Papyrus himself. In the carving on the door was the image of Papyrus and Sans standing hand and hand underneath under the magnificent tree, with its frosted branches and surviving apples.

    Once he'd drifted out of his favorite memory, he opened the door and crept over to the bed. Papyrus' slim figure stood stock under the moonlight and the beautiful sheet he lay under. Sans stood over him for a while, just watching, and studying his beauty. The sheet pooled around him like water, and he let out tiny muffled snores every time he breathed. It was at times like these, when they were safe at home, when Papyrus truly looked to be at peace. His facial features had relaxed, and the jagged grim had softened to a small frown. He reached a hand out and cupped his cheekbone. Papyrus blurrily opened his eyes and smiled sweetly up at Sans. He pulled Sans into bed and under the sheets, and held him close to his chest before drifting off into the land of dreams. Papyrus wasn't always abusive, or hurtful. He could be all you asked for in a mate. Things used to be this way, minus the romance, before he left for the Royal Guard. Before Papyrus forgot how to be gentle like a feather; before Papyrus' soul was frozen solid and broken. Sans grimaced. It was all  _her_ fault.  _Undyne the Undying._

* * *

__

_Years from present time_

Papyrus' P.O.V.

   Papyrus wished Sans goodbye, eyes tearing up. He glanced at their makeshift "hut" in the waterfall dump. Sans was horribly sick, the dampness and cold in the dump affecting him. He hated to leave him in such a poor state like this, but he'd be home soon with lots of money. Papyrus was  _determined_ to make it to the top of the royal guard in under a month. He turned and trudged through the murky water, mud and muck clinging to his tiny yellow rain boots. The training camp was near the bridge to Hotland, a path he had traveled many times. 

   As he walked along the glowing path into a room lined with echo flowers, he stopped in his tracks. Nobody must've been down this path in a very, very long time; he immediately recognized the audio produced by the echo flowers. The first one was the sound of wet splashing from footsteps and wailing. There was also the faintest sound of voices. His heart clenched as he listened to all of them. 

_"Sans, where are we going?"_   


_"Shh, Papyrus. We need to keep going, I don't know where."_

_"Why are they after us?"_

_"I don't know, just don't stop, Papyrus!"_

The rest of the conversation was muffled, and Papyrus didn't really want to remember it. He came to a stop at the end of the hall and dragged his hands down his face in distress. He'd wanted to forget this day, forever, and the memories were crashing down over him. Shaking his head, he willed the dark thoughts to leave.

    Water dripped from the ceiling of the cave and down onto the watch tower on the cliff. Below it lay the cave that led to what used to be a cave to the bridge. It had long been turned into a military camp with barracks and everything. Papyrus slunk over to the entrance, carefully peering over the corner. Inside battle cries rang out as young soldiers fought each other in "training", which appeared to be no less than a slaughter house. In the middle of the chaos was a young blue female fish monster with flame red hair. A dragon and bunny monster were pummeling her into the ground as she cried out in pain. Acting on instinct, h rushed forward into the crowd. Using the cover of the other fighting bodies, he quickly snatched the fish monster out from their hands, leaving the two big monsters confused. 

"H-Hey-" Papyrus started, but was cut off as the fish monster bared her yellow fangs. "I c-could've beat them!" she hissed, clearly offended and still in shock. Papyrus shook his head at her proud behavior. "No, you wouldn't have." he smiled, reaching his hand out in a handshake. "I'm Papyrus. What's your name?" 

She grumbled and fumbled with her hands. "Undyne." She squeaked. "Thanks for... for, y'know, saving my life."

They stood there chatting until suddenly a tiny white female rabbit monster skidded to a stop in front of them. "I-I heard you stood up t-t-to my brother and his friend, 02!" She panted, and then trailed off. "It... was very brave of you." 

   Papyrus and Undyne introduced themselves, learning her name to be Bella, and her brother was Bellial, more commonly referred to as Bellial. Papyrus was was thankful to have found friends,  _allies,_ so soon. It was rare to be accepted so fast. After Bella and Undyne helped him sign in, they headed off to their bunks in the barracks. 

Papyrus groggily sat up and looked around. It was freezing cold, and so unlike the humidity of the dump. Looking up above his he saw Bella curled up on his pillow. She must've crawled into his bed as he slept. He'd been here almost two weeks now and Bella, Undyne, and him had grown quite close. Undyne was very hot tempered and reckless, whereas Bella was calm and shy. She didn't belong here in this world; she deserved to be somewhere better, somewhere nice and safe. Smiling to himself, he shook her awake. "Bella" he whispered. "It's time to wake up." She grumbled and sat up, smiling back when she saw him. "Good morning. Where's Undyne?" she purred. Papyrus looked around, realizing she in fact wasn't in their section of the bunkers. With a shrug, Papyrus put on his red scarf he'd gotten for his third birthday. With that, Bella and him were off to look for Undyne. 

   It was rare for it to snow at Waterfall in winter, but not completely impossible. Upon arriving outside, there it was. Pure white snow lined the cave's floor, and icicles hung from the ceiling. Bella gave an excited squeak and leapt into a snow poff. Papyrus' face softened at the sight as he watched her excitedly playing in the snow. She really was the image of innocence. If he wasn't directly looking for her, her white fur would have been hard to find. He should convince her to move to Snowdin after they graduate. She'd be much safer there. 

  Voices off in the distance startled him from his thoughts. In the distance was the silhouette of Undyne and the commander. He crept closer, and listened in on the conversation.

_"but-"_

_"You know what you have to do. You're becoming soft. This is not the effort our private lessons together should be teaching you."_

_"They're my friends, father.."_

_"There is no time for 'friends' in the underground. K-"_

  Papyrus couldn't make out the rest, but he felt a chill run down his spine because of the look on her face after he finished his sentence. "Okay, I'll do it." She hissed, and magic conjured armor appeared on her body, along with a sharp blue spear. Now Papyrus knew what the commander had said.

_"Kill her."_   


Bella's P.O.V.

Papyrus had disappeared awhile ago, but that was okay with her. She was having fun here in the snow. It reminded her of her home in Snowdin, with her mother and siblings. Then they started to lose money. A lot, of money. The fastest way to make money in the underground was to become a royal guard. She was the eldest, followed by her brother, so they set off to seek glory in the world of royals. As she thought more about glory and the image of pride, her thoughts drifted to Papyrus. He was really good to her, like no other male monster ever had been. Sometimes, she wondered if what he felt for her could be even more than friendship, something intimate. She doubted he felt the same as her. Monsters chose their mates based on convenience, not love. Besides, he probably already had one. Sometimes, while he slept, he'd whisper someone's name. "Sans" **"Sans"** " _Sans"_ was the name she always heard, never hers. Smiling sadly to herself, she fumbled with her paws. "I hope his mate makes him hap-" she was cut off as her world seemed to freeze. A cold fear crept over her as she felt something weird lodged in her chest. What was touching her soul? It didn't hurt, but it felt very uncomfortable. Looking down, she found a blue spear stuck in the middle of her chest. Parts of her around the wound seemed to begin to crumble away into dry flaky dust. Looking up, she saw Undyne towering over her.  _Undyne._ Undyne had done this; betrayed and killed her. But, Bella couldn't bring herself to feel hatred for her friend. The look on Undyne's face told the entire story. Bella looked down again to watch herself crumble away. It didn't hurt, really. It felt more like a phantom feeling; cold creeping over her entire being as she felt the lightest she had ever felt. The last thing she saw was Papyrus slam into the back of Undyne, and saw his soul. Only soulmates could see the other's soul in times of distress.  _He was her soulmate._ And with that final dying thought, she crumbled into the darkness of the abyss. 

Papyrus' P.O.V.

He better not be too late. "Please be al-"

_Silence._   


There was dust, so, so much dust. In the middle of the pile of dust was a tiny pale white heart. He almost didn't see it. He picked it up, and cradled it in his gloved hands. As soon as the realization that his soulmate was dead, a wave of the greatest pain he'd ever felt crashed over him. The tiny soul faded to nothing, and he slammed a fist into his chest. The pain should've killed him then and there, but it didn't.

_Determination._   


He rose to his feet, and slowly turned to Undyne. She was picking herself off the ground slowly. As soon as she was standing, he kicked her to the ground and kneeled over her. Summoning a pointed bone, he slammed it into her chest, and listened as blood gurgled around the wound. The crunching of bone against bone echoed throughout the courtyard as he snapped and twisted her organs. I hate you.  _I hate you. **I hate you. I HATE YOU. **_He screamed over and over in his head as he slowly pummeled her insides to a pulp. He stopped, and a sickening grin crossed his face. He moved up along her body and rested the bone sword over her eye, hovering over the pupil. He watched the fear and realization cross her face, before he pulled up abruptly, and brought it down and into the socket of her eye. She screamed bloody murder, but he just kept pushing.  _Further. **Further. FURTHER.**_ ****

He sat back, and stared at his masterpiece. She was one health point from death. With a final decision, he left. He'd leave her to suffer the rest of her life with the memory of what she did, the missing eye, and the phantom feeling of phantom pain taking. Over. Her. Entire. Body.

_Your LOVE increased._   


  Papyrus spent four years at the camp and then some time in the Royal Guard. In that time, Undyne and him had become partners. They would never again be friends, and he hoped his constant presence would remind her of all her imperfections. He was her second in command. Not because he was weaker. He was _far_ stronger than her. He used her position for her to take orders and carry out things so he wouldn't have to take the punishment.  The Captain always has to take the blame for his or her disciples. This trip was never intended to be more than a month, but, here he was. Four years away from home. Now, it was time to return to Sans.

Wading through the murky, humid terrain disgusted Papyrus. Trash piled high all around the various trails leading deeper into the dump. In the distance on one of the trails, he spotted the tiny hut he'd grown up in. Upon arriving, he noticed there were various empty bottles of alcohol covering the ground. Inside was even worse; dirty clothes strewn all over the place and the distinct scent of sex. Reeling back in disgust, Papyrus stepped out of the tiny "home". 

Papyrus was rather proud of his tracking skills. Using this skill, he followed the reek all the way to a tiny bar in Snowdin. Scanning the building, Papyrus scowled. When he imagined his return, he did  _not_ expect to be greeted with a no-good drunk in place of the honorable person he once knew. It was  _disgusting._ Slamming the door open, he stormed in, anger sky rocketing by the second. The bar went quiet as he stalked over to the counter. There sat his brother and a brown bunny monster. Seeing the bunny made his rage  _flare_ to the max. He slammed his fist next to Sans, the sound of bone on polished wood ringing through out the complex. Sans snarled and whipped around drunkenly to face Papyrus.  **"What the fuck's your problem, _bitch?_ " **Papyrus grimaced. "Is that any way to talk to your brother after four years?" He snarled in his older brother's face. 

"P-Papyrus.. I-"

Papyrus stormed off and into the snow, clenching his fist. This was  _not_ what he expected at  _all._

  


 


	9. UPDATE: These Dark Roads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> talking about the next chapter.

I know I haven't updated in a while. I'm sorry. I'm currently working on the Chapter 10 as we speak, and hope to have it uploaded in a couple days. Lately I haven't been feeling the motivation do do anything, and school's had me really busy. But, I got a spark of inspiration. I'm not sure if anyone is actually reading this, or will read it seeing how long it took me to update, but, gimme a chance. I'm not a writer, but I wanted to make something because of how many fanfictions about Undertale/Underfell I read. Anyways, thank you for reading my Update Chapter, I hope to have he next chapter up soon.


	10. Further and Further

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Further and Furter into the past of Sans and Papyrus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little foreshadowing, I don't think anyone will like how this ends. Except me of course. >:)  
> Per always, I'm sorry for how short my chapters are. If I don't whip it out in one day, it won't get done. My sparks of motivation only last for a day.  
> Also, I can only write for about 2 hours a day so.. Everything is extremely rushed. Sorry.

Further and Further  
Chapter 10, Into the past continued  
Sans P.O.V.  
Shock. That was all Sans could feel as he watched his brother, older, and taller, storm out the door. He looked so much different, he only now recognized him now that he knew. Knew that fierce looking monster with the scar down his face was his baby brother. He'd let him leave to protect him to find out he has made the wrong decision.  
That's when he realized... He was about to lose him all over again. Stumbling off the bar stool, he rushed after Papyrus, ignoring Chillby's angry threats about paying off his tab.  
When he got out of the bar, Papyrus was already gone. Frantically, Sans searched for any sign of him, anything. If he didn't find him, he would possibly never seen his brother ever again.  
Down the white road of Snowdin, near the forest were large boot prints. The snow was already starting to cover the prints, and if he didn't hurry, there wouldn't be a trace of Papyrus at all. Sans rushed as fast as his short legs. With how stout his body was, running was never really easy.  
Suddenly, the trail stopped, footprints completely covered by the fast falling snow. He searched the surrounding forest with his eyes. The trees were tightly compacted, and the think branches and leaves that seemed to hold onto one another deemed it hard to see, even for Sans. He tried to stay out of the forest. Here, only the strongest monsters lingered, waiting for smaller, and weaker monsters to stumble in.  
Despite having a rather impressive amount of magic ability himself, Sans couldn't take on the gangs of monsters that teamed up.  
In the underground, every monster hated their king that kept them locked up here, despite having all of the monster souls. After he'd killed Frisk, he put her soul in one of his glass jars and declared they wouldn't leave. Sans had only been a child then, right before his brother was brought into the world. That's when he'd been cursed to raise a baby at only 5 years old-  
CRACK.  
In the distance, a twig snapped, and the world seemed to freeze. Even the snow seemed to land with just a whisper, and the wind held its breath.  
Slowly moving forward, hidden by the trees and undergrowth, he peered into a small clearing in front of him. There, he saw Papyrus sitting on a rock, resting his head against a giant apple tree. Surprisingly, the apple tree seemed unaffected by the cold weather. And even despite the snow, proud leaves grew and ripe apples hung from its branches. It was a phenomenon that it was surviving the harsh winter, or that an apple tree could even grow at all in this dense, unforgiving forest.  
Slowly moving from the tree he had been observing the scene from behind, he entered the clearing. Papyrus glared up at him, exasperated. But, his anger seemed to fade, and he rested his face in his hands and stared at the ground. Sans stood 20 feet away, at a loss of what to do, discomfort and silence crackling between them like fire.  
Finally, Papyrus broke the silence. "Four years, I was gone. Saying it doesn't sound that long, but living it was forever."  
Papyrus looked up, and Sans met his eyes. "I have no guilt saying that once I got there, I didn't want to come back. And I didn't." he paused. "Until I really understood how it works down here, I was angry with you for having denied me the luxury of having a bed, and a steady food supply." Sans looked at his feet. He'd known for years he'd failed. It hurt to hear Papyrus finally voicing his complaints, but still, his brother continued. "I came back hoping you'd have tried to make a living without having an extra mouth to feed. Maybe build your way out of the dumps, move into Snowdin. But.." his eyes darkened. "Here I find you, pissing the little money you make away on alcohol and drugs."  
Silence fell between them again. The wind howled, and the snow might as well have been metal on marble as it fell to the ground. He knew he should say something... do, something. But before he could open his mouth to apologize, Papyrus spoke again. "How do you make your money?" Sans froze. He couldn't find out. Couldn't find out about he clients, about the nights he slept in other monster's beds-  
"Whoring, is that it?"  
Sans swallowed thickly. He knew. He tried to think of someway to defend himself, someway to lie, but he couldn't. There wasn't a way he could explain why he prostituted, especially not to his baby brother. Papyrus was only 14 years old, Sans 19. He wouldn't be able to understand the choices Sans made.  
But still, Sans nodded. He couldn't lie. He watched a scowl grace his brother's beautiful face. He waited for the yelling, screaming, maybe for Papyrus to get up and leave. But all he did was sigh and turn away. Sans wished he had stomped away, or told him he hated him. Hated his disgusting, whore brother. But all there was was silence that hung between them, threatening to drag Sans down like a rope around his ankle. "Papyrus-" "Come here." Papyrus cut him off.  
Cautiously, Sans made his way to him, almost close enough to reach out and touch him. But nothing happened, again. Somewhere in his chest, Sans could feel the unknown pain he felt every night as he lay alone. It felt almost as if his heart were fragile glass, and someone was peeling the pieces off like paper. He felt like that a lot.  
"I'm moving back, and I can't leave you to the Dump." They met eyes. "Included with battle training, I read architecture books. I'll buy the lot next to waterfall and build us a house. However." He glared down at Sans, finally turning back to him. "I'll kick you out if I find you've been whoring yourself out again. You'll get a job as a sentry, or you won't be allowed to take one step near my home."  
Sans nodded. Giving his job up would be hard, but.. It would be a relief to finally end it. He hadn't only done it for the money. Stress was all around, and it melted away every time he served another client. Not that he'd ever tell anyone that.

Sans and Papyrus stood in front of the apple tree. Somehow, it felt like a sign. In the middle of a dark and snowy forest stood a battered, but strong apple tree that held itself together. Like them. The delicate branches swished in the wind, and a calm tranquility settled over the two. In that moment, their time apart was forgotten and it was how it used to be, but maybe with reversed roles. Papyrus reached for Sans' hand, and all was, for the moment, forgiven.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I guess when the next chapter will be posted is entirely determined on how many people really like this...


End file.
